Age-friendly Austin Forum Series

Age-friendly Austin Forum Series

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Many individuals and groups have worked diligently to improve services and quality of life for Central Texas’ older adults since 2010, when census numbers indicated that our community had one of the fastest-growing populations of older adults in the U.S. Here’s a brief timeline of events:

  • 2012: Mayor Lee Leffingwell appoints a Task Force on Aging to create a set of strategic recommendations to accommodate Central Texas’ fast-growing senior population.
  • 2013: The Task Force recommends that Austin be designated an “age-friendly” community under the AARP Network of Age-friendly Communities, an affiliate of the World Health Organization’s Age-friendly Cities and Communities Program.
  • 2015: Austin’s Commission on Seniors forms a working group that includes AustinUP and other nonprofits to create the Age-friendly Austin Plan to improve Austin’s age-friendly infrastructure primarily in eight areas: Outdoor Spaces and Buildings, Transportation, Housing, Social Participation, Respect and Social Inclusion, Civic Participation and Employment, Communication and Information, and Community and Health Services, i.e., the Eight Domains of Livability.
  • 2016: The Austin City Council, now under Mayor Steve Adler, votes to adopt the Age-friendly Austin Plan as an addendum to the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan.
  • 2020: Census numbers are predicted to confirm Austin as a “retirement destination.”

To put a spotlight on these efforts, AustinUP is hosting a series of FREE online sessions in 2021 that will focus on community progress as a result of the Age-friendly Austin Plan. Each half-day forum will serve a dual purpose of disseminating local information to older adults about a particular topic, e.g., housing, transportation, civic participation / employment, etc. and discussing achievements in the global age-friendly movement. Our speakers and panels will showcase existing services in our community in addition to “horizon” ideas and plans. Our audience will include older adults and caregivers as well as representatives from private and nonprofit sectors. Join us!

Remaining Forums (save the dates!)
Each forum will begin at 1 p.m., end at 3:30 p.m. and feature two 45-minute panels with time in between for audience Q&A and resource sharing.

Thursday, October 21: Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
Thursday, November 18: Transportation
Thursday, December 9: Social Participation

PRE-REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 21 VIA THIS ZOOM LINK! You will receive updates on speakers and presentations as each date approaches. All sessions will be recorded.

Thank you, sponsors!

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Info
Location: Online
Date: September 9, 2021
Duration: 1 Day
Forum Dates: September 9, October 21, November 18, December 9
Time: 1 - 3:30 p.m.